Source [1-3]: “Art/artifact: African Art in Anthropology Collections” by Susan Vogel, Arthur C. Danto. Book shelved at @seedarchives in London.
Source [4]: WONI WITU on Facebook
Source notes [1-3]: “Wood, aluminum. Diam. 10 ¾ in. This elder’s stool was collected at Ithula, Kilungu Location, Ma-chakos District, Kenya, in 1973. The carving is from one piece of wood; the aluminum edging and repair are later additions. The prowess of Kamba hunters, known far and wide for their skill with bow and arrow, is commemorated in this stool by the bow shaped cut outs on its legs. The seat is well worn from many years of use. A Kamba elder, perhaps on his way to a party at a friend’s home or other important business, might carry his stool, suspended from his shoulder by a loop of thick copper chain, handmade by a Kamba smith. This stool has features we associate with objects of twentieth-century Western design: simple, elegant lines crisply emphasized by white, and a dark, highly polished surface.”
Source notes [4]: “Another important accessory for the elder was the Kivila – a three-legged stool which was could be used during council meetings that were held far from dwellings. The role of carrying stools could be delegated to the elder’s favourite grandson…[Elder Somba wa Nyangi] was the father of author Ndeti Somba whose book ‘The Akamba Mirror’ was a product of a father-son interview concerning the advent of British colonialist in Ukambani.”
